VP, Computational Biology

About Voyager

We are Voyager Therapeutics, a pre-clinical stage biotech compelled by curiosity and powered by persistence. Voyagers are bold innovators who are energized in unlocking the full potential of AAV gene therapy employing our TRACERTM capsid discovery platform. Our resolve is to advance the field of AAV gene therapy, and through our innovative capsids, we are extending the reach and impact of our technology to help more patients in need.

Recognizing that we can expand on the experience, innovation, and outcomes that propel our efforts by working together, we actively seek diverse views. If you're someone who wants to make discoveries that change the landscape of medicine for patients, we want you on our team!

Job Summary

Voyager applies computational biology and other data-driven approaches with a particular emphasis on pioneering a new way to design capsids more efficiently based on a wealth of data that's being generated internally. As the VP of Computational Biology, you will report to the Chief Scientific Officer. You will provide leadership and technical expertise, while driving innovation and strategy, in computational biology, bioinformatics and genomics. The ideal candidate will balance being a player-coach with being a leader with deep computational biology expertise in the development of gene therapies and genomics methods (NGS-based).

Given the expanding scope of the computational biology group's operations, you will lead a team of scientists to innovate and drive strategy, plus provide data-driven decisions. This individual will oversee and lead bioinformatics analysis, computational biology methods development, code documentation and review, and visualization and meta-analyses of data with a particular focus on novel capsid engineering including application of AI/ML approaches to further our understanding of the properties of our gene therapy capsids. Further, you will contribute to the vision and implementation of a Capsid Atlas for data warehousing and interactive engagement with data deriving from our experimental initiatives in capsid tropism. Additionally, you will develop and implement additional capabilities including NGS, spatial seq, single cell/nuc RNA-seq and ATAC-seq, immune assessments. You will also partner with the IT team to establish a collaborative and efficient workflow & environment across the teams, largely through cloud-based computational infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and utilize machine learning capabilities at VYGR in order to design the next generation capsids that will transform the field of gene therapy
• Lead the development and deployment of computational methods and workflows for analysis, visualization, and interpretation of large, complex datasets including our novel capsid discovery pipeline
• Drive innovation and provide strategic leadership, mentorship, and technical expertise in bioinformatics and computational biology and contribute to the development of an integrated data environment
• Expand and lead a team of scientists responsible for applying computational biology and statistics to allow data-driven decisions across Voyager's portfolio
• Responsible for influencing and collaborating with senior leaders internal and external to the Voyager organization to build the translational bioinformatics capability

• Apply new tools, including AI/ML, and data-mining techniques for integrative analysis and visualization of large datasets
• Influence the development of gene therapy R&D strategies to enable rapid progression of novel therapeutic concepts
• Ensure documentation of code, workflows, reports, and analyses of your team
• Manage projects in parallel to meet short timelines while maintaining scientific quality and rigor
• Provide transparency on project status, potential roadblocks for execution, and new strategies to Voyager leadership
• Influence scientists and engineers cross-functionally to design studies that are powered and controlled to meet experimental and business goals
• Communicate to a broad audience with a range of technical, analytical, and biological expertise and present strategic roadmap to leadership teams across Voyager
• Engage in crucial conversations by providing and receiving feedback supporting the growth and development of team members
• Demonstrate ability to engage and effectively influence team members across multidisciplinary teams while prioritizing multiple projects and meeting deadlines
• Drive curiosity, scientific rigor and excellent problem-solving skills across a fast-paced performance driven environment
• Innate ability to assess talent that will help grow the organization and add to Voyager culture

Qualifications

• PhD/MS in Computational Biology, Bioinformatics, Statistics, Computer Science with 10+ yrs. of strategic and innovative experience in academic research and/or industry; expert knowledge of scientific principals and concepts
• 5+ years of experience managing a team greater than 5, with a range of experience (straight from grad school through 10+ years of industry experience); proven leadership skills and the ability for guiding a team through innovation
• Experience analyzing protein engineering, gene or cell therapy, single cell, genetics, and genomics data, and clear capability to formulate strategy on potential future initiatives with strong reliance on bioinformatics and computational biology, including genome editing
• Experience developing bioinformatics workflows for NGS-based genomics assays
• Strong understanding of biological concepts with statistical and quantitative data analysis experience
• Technically proficient in Python and R, version control, containerization, and workflow languages (e.g., Nextflow)
• Experience applying new tools for the integrative analysis and visualization of multi-dimensional datasets
• Excellent verbal, written, analytical, and presentation skills; communicate a clear vision down, up, and across

What will separate you from the crowd

• IND/BLA experience
• Biology background in protein engineering, cell and gene therapy, genetics, or stem cells